MUSCAT: Sultan Qaboos University has advanced 28 places in the QS World University Rankings 2027, securing the 306th position globally, compared to 334th in the 2026 rankings. This achievement reflects the university's enhanced performance and its strengthened academic and research standing at the international level.
HH Sayyid Dr Fahd bin Al Julanda al Said, Vice-Chancellor of SQU, stated that the university's attainment of the 306th global position in the QS World University Rankings 2027 embodies the dedicated efforts of its affiliates across the domains of education, research and strategic partnerships, and affirms its advanced standing among world-class universities.
He further noted that this accomplishment comes within the framework of the support accorded to the higher education sector under the wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik. It also reflects the progress achieved in realising the objectives of Oman Vision 2040 and in enhancing the Sultanate of Oman's global competitiveness in knowledge and innovation indicators.
QS Quacquarelli Symonds based its 2027 World University Rankings on the analysis of data from 8,808 universities across 106 countries, with 1,504 universities ultimately featured in the final ranking. This year's edition also saw the inclusion of 94 new universities in the global ranking.
The QS institution employs nine key indicators of varying weights in its classification and assessment of universities, encompassing Academic Reputation, Employer Reputation, Citations per Faculty, Student-to-Faculty Ratio, International Faculty Ratio, International Student Ratio, International Research Network, Employment Outcomes, and the Sustainability indicator.
Sultan Qaboos University registered notable improvements across a number of these indicators, including Employer Reputation, Citations per Faculty, International Research Network, and Employment Outcomes.
The university worked to enhance its Employer Reputation indicator through the alignment of its graduate outcomes with labour market needs, the expansion of partnerships with employers across both the public and private sectors, the organisation of career fairs and professional events, and the delivery of workshops highlighting the significance of the Employer Reputation indicator to relevant institutions.
The university also convened the Sultan Qaboos University Employers Forum, which addressed key challenges and produced a series of recommendations aimed at bolstering the university's employer reputation, in addition to developing an employer database and strengthening ongoing engagement with them.
Regarding the Employment Outcomes indicator, the university improved the quality of data provided by the National Records Center of the Royal Oman Police, ensuring accurate and reliable information on its graduates. This contributed to reinforcing its standing within this indicator in the QS World University Rankings, alongside the support provided by the Ministry of Economy for the strategic project aimed at elevating the university's position in global rankings.
The university also implemented a number of initiatives supporting the Citations per Faculty and International Research Network indicators, including programmes to stimulate and support scientific publication and participation in international conferences. These efforts contributed to raising the quality of research output and enhancing its global dissemination.
With this latest advancement, Sultan Qaboos University continues its trajectory towards achieving its strategic objective of joining the ranks of the world's top 300 universities in the QS World University Rankings, in alignment with the targets of Oman Vision 2040.
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